Raptors soar to victory over the Hawks

The Toronto Raptors dominated the Atlanta Hawks (12-36) Tuesday night. Toronto lead the whole game and by as much as 28 points as they cruised to a 130-114 victory. The Raptors extend their win streak to 8 as they improve to 33-14. The win marks the 11th straight victory against the Hawks. Toronto sits at 2nd place in the standings, rising a full game ahead of the Miami Heat (32-15).

Atlanta could not contend with the Raptors intensity in the paint. The Raptors scored 60 points in the paint on 67.4% efficiency from less than 5 feet. They took 15 more shots than the Hawks from that distance. They also out rebounded Atlanta 52-44 with Sergre Ibaka being able to dominate down low. Ibaka finished with a team-high 24 points and 10 assists.

Kyle Lowry: Floor General

Tuesday night was an eventful one for Kyle Lowry. Jose Calderon’s previous record of 3770 assists in a Toronto jersey has been surpassed. With 7:56 left in the fourth quarter, Lowry launched a touchdown pass to Terence Davis for his 3771st assist. With that pass Kyle Lowry reigns as the all-time assists-leader for the Toronto Raptors. Lowry finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists in the win.

Lowry has an opportunity to set the Raptors’ record for all-star appearances. He currently sits at 5, tied with Vince Carter.

No Rest for the Raptors

Marc Gasol is the latest victim of the injury bug, suffering from hamstring tightness. Gasol suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for 12 games earlier this season. He joins Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on the injury list and is listed as day-to-day. Look for Chris Boucher to contribute big minutes in the next few games.

Up Next

The Raptors will head to Cleveland to take on a struggling Cavaliers team. Toronto won handily against the Cavaliers in their last match and will look to repeat on Thursday at 7:00 PM/EST.